


A New Hope

by Riddle_Me_This_Darling



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Friendship, Hopeful Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22335997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riddle_Me_This_Darling/pseuds/Riddle_Me_This_Darling
Summary: After Thomas Barrow's suicide attempt, Mrs Hughes is compelled to enter his bedroom. There, she contemplates the under-butler.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 93





	A New Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it's been a hot minute since I've posted anything on here.
> 
> I still love Downton Abbey and Thomas Barrow, so I wrote this short little story.

Elsie Hughes stood outside Thomas Barrow’s bedroom. Her hand gripped the doorknob, but she hesitated to open it. Inside, she knew she would find her colleague tucked up in bed. He was probably sleeping. Heavens knows, the poor man had survived a terrible ordeal.

Suicide. It was unbearable to think that Thomas had sunk so low in his mind. He hadn’t been well liked by all the staff, but nobody wished him harm. No one at Downton knew what to say or how to process Thomas’s attempt to take his own life. A dark shadow hung over the estate, and its presence was felt by all, even Mr Bates and Carson. Carson was deeply sad, but he hid his emotion well.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Elsie opened the door carefully, and peered around the frame.

The last rays of the evening sun fell slanting through a small, open window. Thomas’s curtains gently danced to the side of the window as a light breeze fluttered in through the window. The air in the room felt crisp, and she could smell cigarettes, along the faint scent of Thomas’s favourite soap. Looking to the side, she saw Thomas in his bed, and was indeed sleeping. Still too pale, he looked fragile and tired. There were purple shadows beneath his eyes, dark enough to be mistaken for faded bruises. Slowly crossing over the threshold, she walked towards the edge of Thomas’s bed and stared down at him.

“Poor boy,” she whispered softly.

She remained there for a few moments, contemplating the young man’s sleeping form. He would need to wake up soon and eat something. At least he looked peaceful.

Peaceful. A sudden, terrible vision of Thomas lying in a coffin flashed behind her eyes, and Elsie jumped back as though she had been scalded. In an instant, her own skin greyed, and her lips parted as her eyes widened; her heart hammered wildly in her chest. It truly dawned on her that Thomas Barrow almost died. She would never have seen him again. A young life, wasted. How tragic.

Thomas wriggled in his sleep as though aware he was being watched. Turned his head to the right, he soon became still again. He didn’t wake up.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Elsie gently patted the outline of his ankle.

“You just rest,” she told the sleeping under-butler. “I’ll bring you something later.

As she turned to leave, she remembered the window. The room had been aired sufficiently, so there was no need for it to remain open. In his weakened state, Thomas might catch a chill. She made her way across the small room and took hold of the window handle, but the sunset caught her eye. Strokes of orange gold stretched far and wide; the colour as vibrant as fire embers and tangerines. A dusting of pink cloud was scattered to the West. The promise of a rising sun the next morning was not lost on the housekeeper, and she smiled into the distance. The land would soon rest once more and with the morning, it would bring a new hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it, as brief as it is.


End file.
